Originally, luggage consisted of a suitcase or duffel bag and perhaps a small "travel bag". These structures allowed many items to be stored in one portable structure.
However, both suitcases and duffel bags suffer from the fact that they are basically large receptacles into which clothing is dumped. Because of their size and shape, certain clothes, especially formal clothes such as suits and dresses, are not easily transported in a suitcase or duffel bag. Suits and dresses placed in a suitcase will almost invariably be wrinkled by both the folding of the clothes to fit within the suitcase and by the shifting of clothes within the suitcase. Travelers must then spend time and money pressing these clothes to remove the wrinkles.
To overcome this problem, garment bags were developed. Garment bags are elongate soft-sided bags. A hook extending from the top of the bag allows the bag to be hung. Suits, shirts and dresses are placed inside the bag and hung from hangers that are affixed to the top of the bag. The clothes hang freely within the elongate garment bag, and therefore are not wrinkled. The garment bag is narrow in width to preclude the clothes from shifting within the bag during transport.
Of course, easy portability is a primary concern for any piece of luggage. However, garment bags are long, which makes it inconvenient to carry them by holding the top of the bag. To enhance portability, garment bags can be and usually are folded in half lengthwise, and carried using a handle that extends upward from the garment bag when it is folded. The clothes hanging within the garment bag are also folded lengthwise when the garment bag is folded. Experience has shown that this one fold does not cause significant wrinkling of the garments.
Garment bags have become standard luggage for many travelers, especially business travelers, because they reduce the extent to which clothes become wrinkled during transport. Indeed, the conventional garment bag has evolved into more than just a suit or dress holder. Garment bags today have pockets for shoes, toiletries and other foldable clothes. For many business travelers, the garment bag has entirely replaced the suitcase.
The broadened utility of garment bags has significantly increased the weight of the typical packed garment bag. Garment bag weights have increased in weight as items other than hanging clothes are stored in the garment bag. However, methods for transporting the increased weights now associated with garment bags have not improved in conjunction with the new utilities of the bag. Garment bags are still transported by a handle or a shoulder strap extending from the top of the folded garment bag. For travelers walking a long way, or for elderly or handicapped travelers, carrying a heavy garment bag is an onerous task.
Putting wheels on suitcases is known in the art as a means for improving the portability of the luggage. However, because of their soft, flexible nature, most garment bags are poor candidates for wheeled transport. If a soft, flexible garment bag is strapped onto a wheeled carrier, the bag sags or folds. When the sagging or folded bag is strapped onto the wheeled assembly, the clothes inside the bag are wrinkled and folded.
Accordingly, a need yet exists for easily transportable luggage for transporting formal garments without wrinkling the garments.